2018 CH LAFON ROCHET 4ÈME CRU ST ESTÈPHE - 1x300cl

Tasting Notes

• 

  Goedhuis, April 2019,
  Score: 93-95

  Owner Basile Tesseron is maximising the benefits afforded to him by his wonderful new winery. His 2018 reflects the deep density of fruit so typical of the estate, but it also has a new found charm and is wonderfully comfortable in its own skin. Dark in colour with bright crunchy fruit aromas. This is beautifully polished, balancing an innate richness of black fruits with harmonious rounded tannins and a gentle zest of freshness on the finish.

• 

  Antonio Galloni, April 2019,
  Score: 92-95

  A wine of lovely finesse the 2018 Lafon-Rochet offers a striking combination of fruit density and nuance, all in an understated style that is quite appealing. Dark cherry, sweet tobacco, menthol, dried flowers and mint all run through this silky, supple Saint-Estèphe. As always, Lafon-Rochet is one of the more laid back, elegant wines of the appellation. Even so, the 2018 has lovely mid-palate sweetness and silky tannins, both of which add to its considerable appeal. The blend is 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot and 4% Cabernet Franc. Yields were a healthy 50 hectoliters per hectare, higher than the average, which is closer to 42-45. Tasted three times.

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  Wine Advocate, April 2019,
  Score: 90-92

  Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 Lafon-Rochet is scented of cassis, blackberries, herbs and soil with tar and underbrush. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is firm and grainy with herb sparks and an earthy finish.

• 

  James Suckling, April 2019,
  Score: 93-94

  A firm and silky red with blackberries and hints of chocolate and hazelnut character. Medium to full body. Beautiful, fresh finish.

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  Decanter, April 2019,
  Score: 94

  I presume Basile Tesseron is feeling pretty relieved that he decided not to continue with organics in February 2018, as the ability to be more flexible with treatments proved pretty important during the rest of the season. The result is very good, full of juice and life, with crunchy blackberry and cassis fruits that are up there in expression with the 2016. It has clear quality, but is also pretty austere, with good slate minerality and touches of hedgerow. It feels like a wine with good life ahead and something to say. 4% Cabernet Franc makes up the blend. Harvested 24 September to 11 October. 3.7pH. Drinking Window 2026 - 2038

• 

  Matthew Jukes, April 2019,
  Score: 17.5+

  This is a super-succulent Lafon-Rochet with fleshy Cabernet fruit which is nicely weighted with just the right amount of oak and spice. The nose is beautiful and there are mulberry notes overlaying the cassis core. A lip-smacking wine, which adds crisp tannins and bright acidity to its ingredients, this is undoubtedly another Saint-Estèphe winner in 2018.

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  Wine Spectator, April 2019,
  Score: 90-93

  Light pepper and bay leaf accents lead the way, followed by ripe plum and blackberry compote flavors. Juicy and open in feel up front, but acquires a nice tug of earth through the finish.

• 

  Julia Harding, April 2019,
  Score: 17

  Deepest crimson core with wide purple rim. Unusual nose: wild black fruits, vibrant fruit. Intense too, a bit like a blackcurrant pastille. Really expressive on the nose. Chocolate flavour and texture on the palate, not as vibrant as I expected from the nose, perhaps just all curled up inside the oak. The freshness on the finish is lovely. And the finish very long. Very good. Drink 2028-2038

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Producer

Château Lafon-Rochet

Ch Lafon Rochet is ideally situated due northwest of Lafite and west of Cos d'Estournel. Though its terroir is exceptional, many critics believed that earlier vintages in the 1970s and 1980s were too tannic and lacked charm. Since the 1990s, it has steadily improved due to several factors such as harvesting later, increasing the amount of new oak and using a higher percentage of Merlot in the blend - a trend which has a strong following in St Estèphe at the moment. The property has been in the hands of the Tesseron family since 1959 and the property has been managed by the third generation of the family, Basile Tesseron, since 2007.